Hemp - the sniff test
At our first experience at a major trade show, at the Mystery Creek Fieldays in 2023, where thousands of people encountered Hemprino for the first time, we noticed that all customers would be curious about our garments and come up and touch and feel them to see how soft and light they are (very!).
Others would come up and smell the garments. Some customers have stronger olfactory senses and want to be sure before purchasing that their garment will not have an unpleasant aroma.
Plenty of people have preconceptions about what hemp might smell like, but all of them noticed that our garments just smell like clean clothes. Adding the hemp fiber gives no discernable scent difference to our knitwear, even to the most sensitive of customer noses.
Hemp has antibacterial properties which prevent things like molds and mildew and doesn't hold any form of odour, even when the body is sweaty. Therefore hemp fibre can be worn several times before washing it (just like the merino we match it with).
So hemp fibre does not have its own odour, nor does it hold odour from wear over a few days.
Hemp is anti-microbial by nature which means it won’t transmit bacteria and it won‘t smell due to wear. The bad odour that can be caused by sweat is more intense when absorbed by fabrics that are not anti-bacterial.
As an all natural fibre, hemp is the original which synthetic fibres have sought to replicate, and it is past time to appreciate it for its strengths, including the clean slate of absence of smell!
However, certain types of clothes tend to hold odours more strongly. Synthetic materials like polyester or nylon have less breathability, trapping sweat and odor. Clothes worn during intense physical activities, such as workout attire or sports uniforms, can accumulate sweat and bacteria, leading to unpleasant smells. Additionally, clothes made from natural fibres like wool or silk can retain odors if you do not follow proper laundering instructions, use quality detergents, and ensure thorough drying to minimise odor retention in clothes.
But if it wasn’t for all those customers smelling our garments at our stand, we wouldn’t have known this was a concern for our customers. We appreciate it is difficult to “smell” Hemprino through the internet, so hopefully this run down gives you peace of mind if you are one of our customers who want to know how your garments will smell.
Have any more questions we can answer? Please get in touch with us hello@hemprino.co.nz